Servicing Advice for my 56 Fiat...

benbfc

Hi all,
Looking for some advice! I have a 56 Plate Fiat Panda that I bought in January with 7000 miles on the clock. It had a service in Jan 08 with 3400 miles done. I have now had it for 3 months and its up to 9500. Its first MOT is due in November but i think it really needs a service now.
The Panda has a 3 yr warranty which is 1st 2years main warrenty and 3rd yr is Dealer Warrenty. Now I cant see there is any problem with the car from driving it for 3 months so I think it just needs a fairly basic annual service and then it will go for MOT in November and fly through. Fiat want £150 for a service at the dealer. I can get a local one for just over £100. I am wondering what is best in terms of the warrenty, knock on effect of sale price etc.
Any views and advice would be welcome.
Regards
Ben

BillTrac

If you can get a local garage to use official FIAT parts then your warranty will be valid. As long as the service book is stamped I dont think you would have any problem with seeling the car on. And if the dealership goes under ( as the dealership that sold my wife her Citroen has just done) then the longer warranty isnt worth the paper its printed on

I have a 56 Focus and wouldnt let my Ford stealership anywhere near it. Technically they should visually check the paintwork to warranty that but when I can get a complete service with official Ford parts for £75-£100 less than the Ford price then I can check the paintwork myself. And to be honest, in my opinion, if Ford thought there would be a chance of the paintwork degrading in the warranty period(alright there will be the occasional oddity) they probably wouldnt give a warranty in the first place

MX5huggy

Where did you buy it from ? if it was a fiat dealer i would have expected it to be serviced before you got it as it needed one.

benbfc

i bought it from effectievly an online middleman that took it from at expiry of its lease so not from a dealer. They performed a 120 point check prior to selling it which was pretty thorough - levels of fluids etc all ok as i have checked.

I am thinking that the local garagw will be ok, just thinking that if there is anything that needs to be replaced now then the Fiat garage may fix it for free. (Although the exclusions under the 3rd Year Dealer Warrenty is huge!!)

jeannieblue

benbfc wrote: »

i bought it from effectievly an online middleman that took it from at expiry of its lease so not from a dealer. They performed a 120 point check prior to selling it which was pretty thorough - levels of fluids etc all ok as i have checked.

I am thinking that the local garagw will be ok, just thinking that if there is anything that needs to be replaced now then the Fiat garage may fix it for free. (Although the exclusions under the 3rd Year Dealer Warrenty is huge!!)

When your local garage services it - they should know to note any problems they find with it, if there are any, you can take it to the dealership to be repaired under warranty.

As long as your garage is VAT registered and genuine parts used and you have met the manufacturers instructions as to when it should be serviced, then the warranty will stand.

If it should be serviced annually - I'm wondering if it should have been done January this year? If this is the case, you may have mucked up the warranty already. When was it two years old? November? - maybe its not been serviced in accordance with Fiat guidelines - you will need to check. As it could be that its first service should have been in November 2007........... It will say in your service book what the intervals are.

benbfc

Cheers all. I dont think there are any problems with it, certainly nothing I have noted so it should be there are no issues to take up under warrenty anyway which is why I am thinking a local service will suffice (local dealer - 10 miles) reputable services garage 1 mile.

Any more thoughts welcome!

jeannieblue

benbfc wrote: »

Cheers all. I dont think there are any problems with it, certainly nothing I have noted so it should be there are no issues to take up under warrenty anyway which is why I am thinking a local service will suffice (local dealer - 10 miles) reputable services garage 1 mile.

Any more thoughts welcome!

Local reputable garage is fine - but I still feel that the warranty has been lost anyway due to the servicing intervals. Even if it hadn't, local garage would still have been fine.

nomoneytoday

For the sake of £50 I would use a main dealer, as there the car will be more desirable at selling time

jeannieblue

nomoneytoday wrote: »

For the sake of £50 I would use a main dealer, as there the car will be more desirable at selling time

How do you figure that one out? £50? More desirable if stealership serviced? Warranty's blown? Not serviced in accordance etc??

Think OP should go where he wants......... and if like you - has nomoneytoday (or tomorrow) £50 is £50 - buy alot of food with that.